waffle-and-strawberry trifle

the goods:

1/3 cup plus 3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon fine salt

1 and 1/2 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

2 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 pounds strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch slices

8 ounces frozen Belgian waffles, toasted and cut into 1 and 1/2-inch pieces

Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium heatproof bowl. In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, salt, milk, 1/2 cup cream, and egg yolks. Cook over medium-high, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbling, 6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking, 1 minute. Pour through sieve into bowl. Stir in butter and vanilla until combined. Place plastic wrap against surface of pudding to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate 3 hours (or up to 3 days).

Toss strawberries with 1/2 cup sugar; let sit until fruit has released some juice, 20 minutes.

Using an electric mixer, beat 1 and 1/2 cups cream and 1/4 cup sugar on medium-high until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.

In a large bowl or trifle dish, layer 1/2 the waffles, strawberries, pudding, and whipped cream.

Repeat.

Cover trifle with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours (or up to 1 day).

tropical fruit tart

the goods:

all-purpose flour, for work surface

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 pound frozen pineapple chunks, thawed

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 and 1/2 teaspoons powdered unflavored gelatin (one 1/4-ounce packet)

3/4 cup cold heavy cream

1 mango, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced

4 ounces unsweetened coconut flakes (2 tablespoons), toasted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll puff pastry into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry 1 inch from edges, creating a border; with a fork, prick dough all over inside border. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, cook pineapple, sugar, and lemon juice over medium-high until pineapple begins to break down, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve back into saucepan, discarding solids, and sprinkle with gelatin. Let stand until gelatin softens, 5 minutes. Bring to a boil over medium-high, stirring, the pour into a medium bowl set in a bowl of ice water. Stir until cool and thickened, 4 minutes.

Whisk cream until soft peaks form. Stir pineapple mixture until smooth; fold into whipped cream until combined. Spread on pastry and top with mango and coconut.

7-layer ice-cream cake

the goods:

1 frozen pound cake in aluminum loaf pan, unthawed

2 cups raspberry sorbet, softened

1 cup vanilla ice cream, softened

1/2 cup coarsely chopped chocolate wafer cookies

cool whip or whipped cream, for serving

Remove cake from pan and cut horizontally into 4 slices. Line pan with plastic wrap, leaving 6-inch overhang on two sides. Build cake layers in pan in this order: bottom cake slice, 1 cup sorbet, cake slice, 1/2 cup ice cream, cookie crumbs, 1/2 cup ice cream, cake slice, 1 cup sorbet, top cake slice. Wrap in plastic and freeze at least 1 hour. Slice cake and serve with a dollop of cool whip or whipped cream.

raspberry-cream layer cake

the goods:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans

1 and 3/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs, plus 2 large egg yolks, room temperature

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

3 cups cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 and 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature

2 cups raspberries

3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

2 cups cold heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter two 9-inch round cake pans (2 inches deep). Line bottoms with parchment paper; butter parchment.

In a large bowl, using and electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes. Beat in eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, until combined. Beat in vanilla extract.

In another large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low, add 1/3 the flour mixture to butter mixture, beating to combine. Beat in half the buttermilk, another 1/3 the flour mixture, remaining buttermilk, and remaining flour until just combined. Scrape down bowl as needed.

Divide batter between pans, firmly tap on a flat surface to remove air bubbles, and smooth tops. Bake until cakes are golden and puffed and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Let cakes cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges, then invert; remove parchment. Invert cakes again and let cool completely on wire racks.

In a medium bowl, gently mash 1 cup raspberries with a fork. Stir in 1 cup whole raspberries. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream and confectioners' sugar on high until soft peaks form, 2 minutes. With a rubber spatula, gently fold raspberries into whipped cream.

Place 1 cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Spread raspberry cream on top, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top with other cake, pressing gently, and finish with remaining raspberry cream.

Serve immediately.

drop sugar cookies

the goods:

1 and 1/4 cups white sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3 egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup coarse sugar crystals (you can use regular granulated sugar too)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar. Mix in 1 egg yolk at a time and vanilla extract, scraping down bowl as needed. Add flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt and mix to combine. Be sure to scrape down the bowl and make sure everything is mixed in.

Using a medium scoop, form dough balls and roll them in sugar crystals. Place cookie balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper 2 inches apart.

Bake for 12 minutes until the surface of each cookie is cracked and golden.

Remove from oven and allow cookies to remain on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

I was making these for my niece's baby blessing, so I decorated them with icing and edible pink pearls, but the cookies are just as delicious plain!

maple-oatmeal cookies

the goods:

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon fine salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together oats, flour, salt, and baking soda. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on high until pale and fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in maple syrup, egg, vanilla, and 1/4 cup water, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, beat in oat mixture in 2 additions until just combined.

You can fold in raisins, or I baked one batch plain and then added the raisins to the remaining batter.

Drop dough in rounded teaspoons, 2 inches apart, onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until edges are golden, about 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheet until set, about 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.

cadbury egg cupcakes

the goods:

1 box chocolate cake mix (or your favorite homemade recipe)

3 cans white frosting (or your favorite homemade buttercream recipe)

1 oz. yellow food coloring

48 mini Cadbury Creme Eggs (24 frozen)

Prepare batter according to package instructions. Scoop batter into paper lines cupcake tins 2/3 of the way full. Place 1 Mini Cadbury Creme Egg into the middle of each cupcakes (don't sink it too deep or it will burn on the bottom).

Using a small offset spatula, gently spread a thin layer of batter over the top of each egg.

Bake according to package instructions.

Allow to cool completely. While cupcakes are cooling, mix one can of frosting with the whole bottle of yellow food coloring, and blend well. Assemble your piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe a large circle around the perimeter of the cupcake with white frosting.

Fill in the center of the circle with the yellow frosting.

Top with a Mini Cadbury Creme Egg. Use the egg to cover up any pointy tips of frosting.